Electronic torque wrenches are commonly used in automotive and industrial applications to apply a predetermined amount of torque to a work piece. For example, a fastening system may require tightening components, such as a nut and bolt in a threaded fastening system, to a desired force or torque or within a desired torque range. Securing the fastening components at a desired torque setting allows for secure attachment of the components and structures related thereto without under-tightening or over-tightening the components. Under-tightening the components could result in unintended disengagement of the components. Over-tightening the components could make disengaging the components difficult or could cause damage to the components or the threaded fasteners. To prevent under-tightening or over-tightening, a measurement of the amount of torque applied to the work piece can be made while tightening the work piece to meet a target torque setting or to apply a torque within a desired torque range.
When using torque wrenches, it is important to ensure the torque wrenches are calibrated correctly and the amount of torque being measured by the wrench is accurate. Current methods of calibrating a torque wrench to measure accurately generally involve applying a full scale tracking torque to the torque wrench, for example, using a hand crank or rotating the wrench by hand, and maintaining the torque while a measured reading on the torque wrench is adjusted to match an applied torque reading of a calibration fixture. However, the amount of torque applied may drift due to the manual application of the torque. This causes the applied torque reading of the calibration fixture to drift, which requires continual manual adjustment of the applied torque to maintain a constant reading on the calibration fixture while also adjusting the measured reading on the torque wrench.